Amusement apparatus



May 3,. 1938.

AL DE MARCO musmanr AfjPAR/nus Filed Feb. 24, 1936 4 Sheets-Sonet 3 ATTORNEY.

= Mays, 193511 -------xtLLllmuLi/Ml //////f/I i. DE MAR@ f '2,115,014

Araussumxr APPRATUS Filed Feb. 24, 1936- INVENTUK LOUIS DEMAHCQ BY ,fel C75-Tr ATTORNEY.

I V"i SheetsStgeet 4 rennrad. May 3, 193sv Unirse* STATES hasta PATENT orgies -'2,11s,o14 .n

AMUsrnisxfr APPARATUS Louis De Marco, Cleveland. Ohio Application FebruaryZi, 1936, Serial N0. 65,235' Y a trigger. The bow cord extends through alined V 6 Clainns.

invention relatesto an amusement apparatus.

One object ofthe invention is to construct an shooting at a target.

Another object of the invention is to construct an apparatus of this type having an improved .tion relates from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a. side peiling mechanism and a contestant holding the latter ready to make a shot.

Fig.,3 is a section on thev line 3-3- of Figi. Fig. 4 is a section 'on the line 4-4 of-Fg. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on the line 65-6 of Fig. 5. Y Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation oi one of the target members, parts being broken away. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 ci Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section showings.

target memberv in operated position.

Fig. l0 is a. fragmentary section, similar to parts shown in Fig. 3 slightly enlarged.

Fig. l1 is a view on the line H-Il of Fig. 10.

Fig-i215 adiagrammatic view.-

In the drawings, i indicates as an entirety a cas- 'ing constructed to provide a target mechanism 2 bow 4c, the cord of which is adapted to engage vieri'r'showi'ng the lmissile im'Y slots in thc lateral walls of the barrel 4b and slides therein when being engaged with the trigger or when acting to impel a ball 3. With the bow in set position. as shown in Fig. 2 and with a. ball 3 5 in position. operation oi' the trigger will release the cord and permit the latter to lmpel the bell substantially on the line indicated by the arrows a tries)- Y The gun may-beconstructed in any desired 10 manner; that is, the impelling' force may be provided by'a spring operated plunger or by means of such a plunger' adapted to compress air in the barrel to force the ball toward the target mechanism. Where the gun is o1 the bow type. as shown. 15

either' the bow or the cord may be formed oi resilient material; for example,- the bowl arms may be connected by a coiled spring.

The target mechanism consists of a bulls-eye S and concentric openings 6 formed in transverse 2u walls l which are disposed in spaced relation i'orward of the bulls-eye.- said walls l 'and side walls ia of the casing i forming receiving compartments 8 into which the balls fall, as later set forth,

whereby the skill and accuracy of the contestant using the lmpelling mechanism 4 may be deter mined. By preference, the rearmost transverse wail lis provided with the bull's-eye 5 centrally. o! the-opening 6 therein. All oi theopeningsi forward of the bulls-eye may be of successively y Due to the fact that the impelled ball traverses a trajectory curve, this arrangement of the openings Bai'ects the ease o i making a bulls-eye hlt and hence calls upon the contestant to exert greater skill in hitting the bulls-eye 5 or shooting the bali Sinto one of the rearmost compart- 40 ments to secure` ahigher score.

The bulls-eye 5 consists of a convened member mounted on an arm 5a which is plvotally mounted on the rear side of the rearmost transverse Wall l. The bulls-eye is of convexed shape so that if hit by a ball, the latter will be deflected rearwardly into the compartment S rearward of the bulls-eye and thus be guided into the highest valuated pocket, as laterA set forth. A spring 5b normally acts on the arm 5a to maintain the 5o bulls-eye in position. The bulls-eye is provided with a striker 5c which is arranged tol strike a gong B mounted on the rear wall ic of the cas- Y ing i.

The marginal edge oi eachwail and ib suron rounding the opening E, on its outward face or side is provided with a circumferential member l similar in shape to the opening and serving as a guard for such edge to protect it against the impact o! the missiles and also as a derector for the latter. That is, the bali 3 may hit the guard member l0 and be arrested in its projected path and thus drop into the compartment 8 in* front of the member or it may be deected by the member lil into some other pocket. Por this latter purpose the inner edge oi the member lli is curved inwardly and rearwardly which. to

form a deilecting suriace. when hit by a missie.

deilects itat an angle rearwardly into a rearward compartment. whereby the contestant wins a. higher score.

By preference. each member l0 is loosely mounted on guides carried by the iront face of the adjacent partition wall 1 so that the portion hit vby a missie or the entire member may be moved toward the wall to effect the operation of a signaling device. such as' a bell. The guides for each member IU may consist of screws il, the heads o! which limit the outward movement of the member. The screws II- are uniformly positioned around the' adjacent opening G. Between the screws H I provide coiled springs i2 which normally tend to maintain the member l0 spaced from the adjacent wall l and in engagenient with thescrew heads. actuated by each member l preferably consists of an electric bell i3, the circuit "ior'which is closed by the movement of each member Ylil against the tension of the spring or springs-'I2 when hit by' a missie. For thisl purpose, the

member IU is formed o! suitable conducting ma-k terial and when any portion of it engages a. contact i4 xed to the adjacent wall l, a circuit l5 connected to the terminals of the bell i3. is closed to ring thelatter. Each contact it preferably consists of a ring of suitable conducting material countersunk in the adjacent wail l and connected to a terminal i6 for a lead iSa. Bach member I0 is provided with a terminal for a lead |b. As will be apparent from Fig. 12,each pair of leads |511, lib, is connected to the electric mains, so that the movement of any member il! will effect the closing of the circuit for the signaling device i3 to indicate a hit. Asthe device 9 is'capable of producing a sound different from the bell I3, the contestant can tell when the bulls-eye or one of the target members l0 has beenhit. Y.

il indicates av trough located in each compart ment and arranged to collect the missiles failing therento and discharge them into guide means indicated as an entirety at i8. Each trough I1 is substantially U-shape in cross section and ot a width to engage the opposed faces of the transve:se walls 'l forming the adjacent compartment.

Each trough is of Acurvilinear shape longirudinally vso as to extend around the adjacent opening S and upwardly at either side thereof the ends of the trough engaging the side walls la.

Tae bottom portion of each trough Il is formed with an opening through which the missiles graviae into the adjacent guide orrunway i8. preferably a tube. The tubes I8 extend in an inclined direction and pas: through the front wall lb, and for`4 ward of the casing i, in line' therewith, along an extension 2D. their outer ends terminating in pockets or collectors 2i, into which the misiles giavitate and come to rest. The pockets 2l are given desired values, such as i0, 2D, 39, etc., so

that a score ot 'the hits may be computed; for

The signalingmeans example. it the missile lands in the first corn- .portment 8, the missile will roll through the tube i8 to the pocket valued iii, cach succeeding compartment having a higher Scoring value: .the highest score being for the missile shot rast the bulls-eye 5 into the last compartment 8. which corresponds to the pocket valued 100. The extension leads to a point in iront ot the shooting position (see Fig. 2) so that the contestant may readily reload the gun. The extention 20 consists ot an inclined chute extending fcrwardlyoi and inline with the casing I. the outer end .of the chute being closed to Zorm a. receiving chamber 22. The extension 20 at its outer .end inwardly of the chamber 22 ls provided with a cross member 23 on which the collectors: 2l are nally of the chute 20 and extend through the member 23 so as to discharge the missiles into thepockets 2|. "Ihe pockets are connected together as a unit and consist of a curved bottom wall 2d having division walls 25. The inner edge of the wall 2d is `rolled around a rod 2S'the ends of which are `rotatably mounted in brackets l! fixed to the wall 23. One cnd o! the rod 28 is provided with a handle 28 which is adopted to swing the pockets away from the wall 23 (sec dotted 'lines in Fig. 6) to discharge the balls into the chamber 22. th pockets in position against the wall 23. The bottom wail of the chamber 22 is inclined toward one side (see Fig. 5) so that the balls will gravitate' to onepoint. By providing a chute, as shown at 20 and arranging it ln line with the casing Many balls', when shot, fall short of the Iorwardmost compartment 8, and they will drop into the chute and roll through the opening 23a into the chamber 22.

I provide a suitable lightl 29 for the buils-eye. The light is preferably Varranged on the outer side ofthe rear wall ic in operative relation to an opening 30 formed therein and on the inner sida of the wall ic, over the opening 30, I provide a plate 3l formed with a multiplicity oiopenings through which the light rays project. The open ing 30 is of the some diameter as the opening 3 in which the bulls-eye is mounted and. permita A spring 29 serves to maintain the contestant to see the bull's-eye as the latter Yisdirectly interposed' in the line ol.' vision.

lei'lr is adjustable in length and when adius'ted the axis ofthe openings will be inclined to bring it into coincidence with the line of vision between the contestants eyes and the bulls-eye. In the illustrated construction for maklngthis adjustment, Figure 4, I make the rear leg lx1-sections and provide on each a bracket 32 having a. threaded boss 33, one boss having a right-hand thread and the other boss having a let-hand thread. The bosses 33 are connected by a'screw 31 having threaded portions at its ends which extend through the bosses. so that by turning the screw by means o the' hand-wheel 35 attached thereto. 75

the rear end oi' the casing i is raised or lowered..

to effect the required adjustment.

To those skilled in the art to which my invention relates. many changesjin construction and widely differing embodiments. and applications of thc invention will suggest themselves without deshaped in cross section to form a defiect'ing wall parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. My disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

What I claim is: Y A Y l. In an amusement apparatus. atarget comprlslng a casing having a plurality of transverse partitions spaced apart throughout the length of the casing and having central openings therethrough of diilerent diameters. a. btill`s-cye -mounted on the innermost partition within the opening thereof.V a ring mounted on the forward side of each of said partitions to move substantially axially of the opening therein. the inner marginal portion of cach of said rings being and having adiameter less than that of the ad` jacent. opening. springs normally vtending to'mo've cach said ringaway from the adjacent partition.

a signal device connected to said deflcctor rings v tially alincd openings therethrough ofdiilcrent Vdian'ie'te'rswiind each provided on its forward side with an annular contact in concentiic relation to the adjacent opening. n. buii's-eye mounted on the innermost partition in the opening thereof.

I --a ring mounted-on the forward side of each -ot tion to form u. deilecting wall Vand havlnga di-4 Vso said partitions to move substantially axially of the opening therein.. the inner marginal portion of each of said rings being shaped'in cross sccameter less than that of the adjacent opening. springs normally tending to move each said ring away from the adjacent partition. electric circuits connected to said contacts and rings and including a signaling device. the outermarginal edge of each said ring being arranged to engage the adjacent contact to close i: 'circuit when the ring is depressed by impact. independent tubes leading from the bottoms of said compartments for receiving projectiles settling therein. and independent receptacles at the outer ends of the tubes for receiving the projectiles from the'tubessand adapted to be .contradis'inguished from one another for determining the particular compartments from which the projectiles are collected.

3. In an vamusement'. apparatus. a target comprising a casing open at ils forward end and provided with a plurality of spaced apart transverse partitions having alined openings ol dierent sizes therethrough and each provided on its forward side with an annular contact. a bull's-eye mounted in the inner end of the casing lo line with said openings, delector rings disposed concentrically to said openings at the forward sides of the partitions and the front of the casing, resilient supporting means for said deector rings to admit movement thereof under impact of proprojectiles therefrom. means Afor contradistinguisliing said receptacles to designa-te the recep-v tacles relatively to the respective troughs. 'between tiie partitions. means forv dumping said receptacles. and collecting means disposed ieneath the receptacles for receiving the projectiles therefrom when the receptacles are. dumped and for maintaining the projectiles in position for subsequent use said partitions being formed with valined open-- ings increasing in diameter forwardly from said.

buil's-eye. an annular contact mountrdon the forward side of each said partition concentric to l theopening therein. a signaling device. a ring concenlrically relatedv to cach openingen thev forward side o! the adjacent partition. cushioning means for yieldably supporting cach o! said rings on the forward sides ofsaid partitions. and' norvniaily tendini;` to move the ring away therefrom.

electric circuits between said signal device and 4. ln a game apparatus. the combination of a casing provided interiorly with a bull's-eyeand a plurality ot spaced partitions forward thereof.:

cach said contact and the adjacent ring'. the y inner marginal portion of each said ring being shaped to form a wail for deileetlng project-iles into onewof the spaces between sold partitions and the outeredge ol' each said ring. being arranged to engage the adjacent annular contact due to impact oi u. projectile on said ring to close one of `said circuits. and means for discharging the Y projectiles from-the spaces between said. partitions.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein means are provided for adjusting verticallyrona.'

end of said casing to dispose the axis of said opcnings at an inclination to the horizontal.

6. In un amusement apparatus. a target comprising a. horizontally disposed easing having between its front and rear ends Yspliced transverse partitions providing a series of independent compartmems and formed above the bottoms thereof with aiined openings of diiierent diameters, the larger opening being at the front and each rearward opening being smaller than the adjacent forward opening. a buils-eye mounted on the in'- nermost partition in the opening therein. a ring mounted on the front side of each partition forward of said bulls-'eye and in concentric relation to the opening therein and arranged to yield due to impact of a projectile. the inner marginal por tion of each of said rings being shaped in cross section to form a curvilinear deflectng wall and havin'g a diameter less than that o the adjacent opening, independent tubes leading from the bottoms of said compartments for receiving projectiles settling therein. .and independent rccep tacles at the cuter ends of the tubes-for receiving the projectiles from the tubes and adapted to be contradistinguished from one another for determining the particular ,compartments from which the projectiles are collected.-

LOUIS DE MARCO. 

